Printwear

October '16

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2 0 1 6 O C T O B E R P R I N T W E A R
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Screen printing can be an effective
choice for headwear, should your customer
want something a little different. For this,
Mosley adds that five-panel caps are the
best bet for both screen printing and heat
transfers because unlike their structured
six-panel counterparts, they don't have a
hard seam running down the front of the
cap. Camper hats could also work for this,
depending on the profile of the cap and
where the seam is placed.
Headwear presents as many opportuni-
ties for creativity as other types of garments,
if not more. After all, with caps and other
styles that feature a wide brim, you have
the option to decorate the top and bottom
of that brim in addition to the front, back,
and sides of the product with many of the
previously-mentioned decoration meth-
ods. You are not necessarily limited to only
decorating on the center of the front of the
cap, though it's one of the most easily spot-
ted places to put designs or logos. Embel-
lishments can appear on every section of
headwear. Liu explains that headwear can
be decorated on the sandwich part of the
visor, and the top and bottom of the visor in
addition to the spots previously mentioned.
Unique placement is appealing in cer-
tain markets. For example, Sue Wilkosky,
Transfer Express, notes that printing on the
underside of the brim is popular with the
urban market. This eye-catching placement
method could also possibly be popular with
younger end users. In addition, Mosley says
that the sides and backs of headwear have
also caught on recently, as they attract a va-
riety of markets and aren't cost-prohibitive,
particularly when embroidered.
Aside from its alternative visual appeal,
production costs between screen printing,
heat transfers, and embroidery are relatively
similar in smaller jobs.
"The best reason I could give you for
that is that embroidery costs are not that
much more than screen printing or trans-
fers," Mosley explains. But, if your shop
receives a very large order, it can actually
become more affordable to embroider the
entire order in many cases. This is particu-
larly true if you are also trying to decorate
multiple locations.
That being said, heat transfers, screen-
printed designs, direct-to-garment or sub-
limation prints, and even rhinestones or
studs can all be applied to headwear. Plus,
all of these methods also present the oppor-
tunity for mixed-media decorating.
TOOLS OF THE TRADE
While caps are the easiest, most conducive
headwear styles to decorate and are favored
by decorators for that reason, they and al-
most all other headwear styles pose addi-
tional challenges. For this reason, they re-
quire additional equipment.
Cap frames and hoops are necessary for
embroidering headwear, but your shop
may need more if you want to venture into
heat transfers, screen printing, or other op-
tions.
"To heat press caps, you do need a cap
press with the rounded platen, and a set
of different-sized platens helps too so those
low-crown hats don't give you any prob-
lems," explains Wilkosky. She adds that
there are also brim platens that work with
shirt presses if you want to decorate the
underside of cap brims. A cap press is also
useful if you're planning on sublimating
your caps, decorating them with rhine-
stones, or any other options that would
normally involve a heat press.
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